Chapter 1: Ready or Not
Elizabeth Bennet was not ready for many things.
A goldfish, for one, if her dismal attempt to keep one alive in Year 3 was anything to go by.
Her own apartment, for another, as was evident from her pathetic dependence on Charlotte for even the most basic of life's necessities. Like toilet paper. Or food.
And one thing Lizzy was most definitely not ready for was a relationship. Not a boyfriend, not a fiancée and most certainly not a husband.
It was just a pity her mother didn't seem to understand this.
And so it happened that, one sunny morning in Surrey, Lizzy, instead of heading off to do whatever it is normal 23-year-olds do with their weekends, somehow ended up sitting on a ratty sofa with her eyes glued to the telly, attempting (in vain, she'd like to add) to drown out the ongoing cacophony that was her mother's voice.
"And I've heard, you know, that Netherfield estate….you know which one I'm speaking about, don't you, Lizzy?...has been rented at long last, and to a bachelor, as well!"
Mrs. Bennet's enthusiasm, unfortunately, didn't appear to be contagious. Upon hearing this latest news, Lizzy merely groaned and sank deeper into the sofa cushions, contemplating that this may possibly be the worst thing that could happen to her right now.
Because, to her mother's everlasting woe, she was single, and planned on remaining so for a considerable amount of time. However, due to Mrs. Bennet's insane matchmaking skills, she'd been trapped into numerous blind dates over the last few years, all of which ultimately led to disaster. Except for that one time….Lizzy shook her head quickly, not allowing herself the luxury of lingering on that memory. What's happened has happened, she reminded herself sternly. No point in wasting any more time on him.
With that cheerful thought echoing in her mind, Lizzy forced herself to look up and plastered a smile on her face that in actuality more closely resembled a grimace. Not that Mrs. Bennet noticed, of course, she was far too absorbed in rattling off more interesting factoids about their to-be neighbor. Lizzy learned that his name was Charles Bingley, he was an aspiring actor who'd starred in a few shoddy ads and sung a music video, and he was supposedly in possession of a considerable fortune.
And, as her mother insisted on telling her constantly, a single man in possession in good fortune must be in want of a wife. She stuck firmly to this idea, and nothing Lizzy said (she'd tried everything from sarcasm to screams) made Mrs. Bennet give any indication of changing her Victorian-era notions.
A wife, for crying out loud! As if a budding actor needed any more burdens! Not about to tell her mother this, Lizzy scoffed, and tried to focus on the TV (Ashley had just discovered she was in love with Brett, but Brett loved Ashley's best friend, Laura….it was captivating to watch, really….). However enthralling the soap was, Lizzy felt a wave of relief wash over her when the cuckoo clock in the kitchen struck 12.
"Mum, I've got to go," she blurted out, almost tripping over herself in her hurry to get out. "I promised Jane I'd meet her." Hurriedly gathering her bag, she gave her mother an obligatory kiss on the cheek and was almost to the door before Mrs. Bennet caught up to her.
"Oh, Lizzy, I wish you wouldn't always rush out like this!" Mrs. Bennet said, looking so genuinely upset that Lizzy almost felt guilty. Almost. "You know I get lonely up here."
Lizzy rolled her eyes, managing a small smile at her mother's antics. "Don't be silly, Mum. You've got Dad, and Lydia and Kitty come 'round all the time."
"Oh, your father!" sighed Mrs. Bennet, fanning herself delicately with one had. "He'll be the death of me, he will. You know, sometimes I think he just wants to be rid of me! Working all hours in the office like he does…" She'd gone quite red at this point and Lizzy, alarmed at her sudden outburst, cautiously guided them both back to the sofa.
When she'd sufficiently recovered, Mrs. Bennet lowered her voice to a conspirational whisper and murmured to her daughter, "You wouldn't believe this, dear, but I don't think he's going to visit Charles when he settles in! Says he doesn't want to overwhelm the poor man right at the beginning, although what he can mean by that, I haven't the faintest…"
Now that her mother wasn't as ruddy in complexion, Lizzy breathed a sigh of relief and resigned herself to another half-hour's worth of rambling about the magnificent and illustrious Charles Bingley, all the time wondering if digging through the floor with a spoon was a plausible escape route.
Where could she possibly be? Lizzy wondered, impatiently checking the time on her phone again. This definitely wasn't like Jane…she was practically the epitome of "punctual". Well, strictly speaking, Jane was the epitome of everything good in this world. Just like the old rhyme went, sugar and spice and all things nice….The apple of her mother's eye, Jane was a tall, gorgeous blonde who embodied style, class, grace, and to top it all off she was, infuriatingly, just about the nicest person Lizzy knew. If she weren't so bloody loveable, Jane would be a fantastic person to hate.
Just as Lizzy had decided to hang it all and call Scotland Yard if Jane didn't show up in the next two minutes, she saw the girl in question running down the street in apparent disarray, yelling at Lizzy to, "Please wait up…oh, do stop, Lizzy, I'm sorry!"
At the sight of her sister, Lizzy couldn't stop a broad grin from spreading over her face and caught Jane up in a giant hug. "Would you stop apologizing, you silly goose?" she chided, still smiling. "Although," she added thoughtfully, "it's definitely a good thing you showed up when you did, or you might have had the police on your trail!"
Jane flushed and fussed about being late closing up shop and was generally so annoyingly loveable in demeanor that no one in their right senses could stay angry with her for long. In the end, they ended up strolling down a street, chatting about nothing, until something happened and Jane stopped in her tracks.
"Jane?" Lizzy inquired, concerned. Her sister, who was usually calm, cool and collected under any circumstances, turned a shade of deep coral and mumbled, "Lizzy, do you see that man over there? The pale one in blue?"
Following her gaze, Lizzy spotted a fair-haired man with dark, twinkling eyes who was accompanied by a girl and two other men. "Yes, what about him?"
"Lizzy, that's Charles Bingely!" Jane breathed, clutching at Lizzy's arm so tightly she worried for her circulation. "He came into the shop earlier wanting directions to a law firm. We started talking, and…"
"And what, Jane?" Lizzy teased her sister, who was now blushing so shyly it was almost comical. "You fell head over heels in love with him at first glance? You're eloping in Gretna Green? You're planning on a flat with two kids and a dog?"
Jane turned, her smile replaced by a stern frown. "Not you, too, Lizzy! He was a very nice man!"
"You know what's even nicer?" Lizzy baited, the smirk still visible on her face. "Mum was telling me about him just today! I think she's got him picked out as her future son-in-law in any case, so it's a beautifully convenient that you just happened to fall for him right on schedule!"
"Oh, do stop it! You can try all you like to embarrass me, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a very nice man, and he's going to be at Charlotte's party tonight!" Jane blurted out, seemingly very distressed over her sister's disregard of her adoration.
Lizzy stopped and turned a ghastly shade of white. "What?" she gasped. "Tonight? Jane, you don't understand! Mum's never going to let us hear the end of this! She'll keep nagging, and nagging, until one day you find you've woken up a fat housewife in Manchester!"
This caused Jane to erupt in peals of laughter, which was a welcome change from her nervous fidgeting. "Lizzy, how you go on!"
Scoffing, Lizzy blustered on, "Who even invited them? We barely know them, why on earth….so what, are we going to go take a pie up to the Hudsons now? Never mind that we can't stand them, let's just invite the whole world, shall we..." Her rant was abruptly cut short with a look at her sister's wide-eyed, hurt face.
In a timid voice, Jane reluctantly admitted, "I invited him. Lizzy, he was so nice! And he's new, and he said he wanted to meet people…"
"He wanted to meet you! Jane, you idiot, he was flirting with you, probably getting up to asking you out or something….before you opened your big mouth and invited him to a party he had no interest in going to!"
Jane looked crushed, but didn't relent. "Lizzy, what would you have done? If he wants to meet people, a party's the best place to do it."
Lizzy grunted in sour agreement and turned her attention to the rest of the party. The girl seemed innocuous enough, if rather an idiot. She had bleached hair piled high in an updo and garish lipstick that matched the tacky, fire-engine red of her nail polish.
One of the men appeared middle-aged, with a paunch and a neatly trimmed mustache. He was, at that moment, downing a sizeable glass of something strong at the table where they all sat, seemingly lost to the world at the moment.
Out of all four people in the group, one man in particular managed to catch Lizzy's eye. He was exceptionally tall, with dark, striking features, and Lizzy would have thought him extraordinarily handsome had it not been for the proud twist of his mouth and an arrogant glint in his cold blue eyes. She decided that being good-looking was an entire waste on this man, who obviously thought himself superior to everyone else….just the sort of person Lizzy absolutely detested. Despite her initial instinct, Lizzy found she couldn't look away from him. The timing of her scrutiny was unfortunate, however, because just at that moment, the man turned towards her and for one infinitesimal moment in the rolling winds of time, their eyes locked.
Icy blue met fiery brown.
Just as quickly as the moment had come, it passed. Lizzy looked away and suppressed a silent shiver. No, she decided, whoever he was, she didn't like him at all.
Elizabeth Bennet wasn't ready for many things. A goldfish, for one. Her own apartment, for another.
And, although she didn't know it yet, she was most definitely not ready for William Darcy.
Hello, lovelies! So, this is my first fanfiction, and I am open to any and all opinions (yes, even flames!). But remember, reviews get cookies! And who knows, I may continue this...we'll see!